Top road trip pit stops

Molly Cerreta Smith loves writing about all things mommy, parenting, food, health and travel. When she's not staring into the face of her Mac, she loves to hike, read, do messy crafts with her kids and compete in BBQ competitions with he...

Take a pit stop

If you're headed out on the open road this summer, check out these must-see pit stops.

National parks/monuments

Wherever your road trip takes you, if you are going to be near a national park or monument, make a pit stop. Our country is home to some breathtaking national parks and monuments that offer fabulous camping or lodging facilities and amazing views (think Yellowstone Park's Old Faithful Geyser or South Dakota's Mount Rushmore). Whether or not a national park is your road trip's ending destination, or simply a stop along the way, make sure you include a national park on your road trip route.

Amusement parks

For the adventure-seeking family, make a pit stop at an amusement park during your summer road trip. Your family will thank you for a much-needed break from the car. What better way to shake the sillies out than a day at an amusement park?

Bodies of water

Traveling by a lake, a bubbling brook, or the coast? Time for a pit stop! Summer fun is not complete without some good old-fashioned splashing in the surf. We highly suggest making a body of water part of your road trip pit stop plan.

Unique landmarks

Road trips are all about making some weird and unexpected pit stops. Embrace this fact with a unique pit stop of your own, say, to see the world's largest thermometer in Baker, California or the man-made "Carhenge" (a replica of Stonehenge but with vintage cars) in Alliance, Nebraska.

Photo ops

The whole idea of a road trip is not having a hard and fast timeline, route, or destination. The fun part about that is you may come across a pit stop you could have never imagined. Take pit stops along the way to grab some memorable snapshots of your journey to make a road trip scrapbook that you will cherish forever.